Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

“potty soon?”

posted by lizzie    « 5 Comments »    tied to motherhood, Oliver   

“Potty. Potty soon? Potty soon?” Oliver has several two-word phrases at his disposal, but this (and “Sit down!”) is the most prevalent. I actually don’t know if he’s asking a question or proclaiming a statement. I think he means, “Potty, too.” But whatever it is, he sure says it a lot.

Every time I change his diaper: “Potty. Potty soon.” So he goes into the bathroom, lifts the lid and seat, imitates his brother, and flushes the toilet. (And then puts down the seat, says, “Sit,” I help him sit, he sits for a second, says, “All done,” flushes again, and washes his hands.)

When his brother uses the restroom, he is now hot on his heels. “Potty. Potty soon.” And he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the bathroom until I give him the chance to use the potty.

But he doesn’t use the potty. I’m not even sure he realizes what is supposed to happen when he’s “using” the potty. (Although he did get really upset when he peed on the floor after he had “used” the potty but before I could get a new diaper on him, so maybe he does get it.) He’s got the motions down pat, but it is all for nothing.

Or is it? I assume it is a good thing that he is showing interest and that I should encourage him as much as I can. Even though it is annoying and a lot of effort when he doesn’t go so much as a drop. Even though I think he is still six months away from actually training. But maybe he is ready to train and I just need to get with it. Maybe he is saying, “Potty soon.” Maybe he’s telling me he’d like to use the potty soon, for real. Maybe I should get on this and lose the diapers already.

Comments

  1. Tysha says:
    August 25, 2011 at 12:28 am

    Aspen does the same thing! She is SO interested, but nothing happens (yet she still somehow seems proud of herself). My take is that until she can pull her own pants up and down, I’m not going to LET her potty train. Is that mean?

  2. Missy says:
    August 31, 2011 at 10:06 am

    How exciting to see that on the horizon! I think encouraging it in the way you’re doing is good. Until you notice him keeping his diapers dry for a long spell and peeing all at once, I wouldn’t get too gung ho and ditch the diapers. His body needs to be able to handle holding it before he’s expected to stay dry. I was much more relaxed in training this time around with Eve, and it’s been wonderful. I was less stressed because I didn’t go cold turkey like I felt I had to do with the boys, so she was more comfortable. We just “practiced” a lot. And she got it. Squish will show you when he’s ready by actually peeing when it’s time, or being dry between potty sessions. For now, just enjoy that he likes to practice!

  3. lizzie says:
    August 31, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    Thanks for the comments, Tysha and Missy. They really help me put things in perspective. I don’t think he is quite ready to be trained yet, though he is probably closer than I give him credit for. He can almost put his pants up and down himself, but I really have no idea if he holds his pee and does it all at once yet. So many things to consider . . .

  4. Natalie says:
    September 10, 2011 at 8:15 pm

    I agree with the comments your friends left. May as well let him “practice,” but I’m a firm believer in not rushing the situation either.

  5. Becca says:
    September 19, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    I should have checked this before we talked last week! These are great insights- I’ll pass the tips on to my friend who it trying to train her two and a half year old.

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